Black Metal History Month - In Aphelion : "Moribund"

 

At first it was looking like this band from Sweden was going to lean more onto the death metal side of the blackened death metal equation. Things are off to a good start the band has members firmly rooted in metal with former members of Necrophobic numbered among them. This might be the band's debut album, but it is made by guys who have been around the block. The first two songs are very solid, and I am optimistic until they take on turn on the third song which feels like they are playing fast just to play fast and lose all sense of hook and groove due to this which is a rookie mistake.   

I regain some hope on "Luciferian Age" as it opens with a clean guitar tone and a riff that sound almost more punk. From there things get interesting with dynamic ebb and flow rather than getting trampled under the conventional metal approach. It proves these guys are actually decent song writers when they are not playing like they have something to prove. "This Night Seems Endless" starts off on a darker and more melodic note. It is more interesting than " He Who Saw the Abyss" which is driven by double bass and feels more like your average Swedish death metal band.  The vocals are more of a black metal croak not far removed from Watain and the riffs improve midway into the song. 

The title track is thrashing but gets too caught up in the speed of the metal and feels more rushed than raging. "The Origin" serves as proof of what does work but slowing down and giving everything more room to breathe creating a more powerful sound. The lyrics stand out due to the more deliberate pace and you can hear the song is about praying to an absent god. " Sorrow , Fire , Hate" finds them defaulting back to the hyper fast blur of aggression taken out on their instruments. The flow of double bass does not relent, this keeps the last song moving but also stunts the melodic scop of what they do. The rasp pf the vocals feels more abrasive as the riff slowly drones you into it. I will give this album a 8.5, they are great at what they do.   The album comes out March 11th.